Dream Team
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: When Roland is unable to attend an important unity meeting, he asks Cedric and Sofia to stand in for him and be representatives for Enchancia at the conference in the Kingdom of Plumaria. (The summary only skims the surface! ;) Enjoy!)


Dream Team

Summary: When Roland is unable to attend an important unity meeting, he asks Cedric and Sofia to stand in for him and be representatives for Enchancia at the conference in the Kingdom of Plumaria.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Sofia the First_!

A/N: Just a little FYI… Coming up with kingdom names is harder than it looks! Lol! I spent more time thinking of a kingdom name than I did creating the cover photo. Haha. Anyway, hope you enjoy! *Important note at the end!*

*Story*

Roland was in pretty bad shape. For starters, he was currently stuck in his bed, a full-on fever evident simply by looking at the horrid flush of his cheeks. What had started as a small cold seemed to have evolved into something much worse, though the doctors hesitated to call it a "flu" per se. They weren't quite sure the origins of the illness, though it did seem to literally come out of nowhere. Whatever it was, it had hindered his running of Enchancia, and Miranda had been left in charge in his stead.

So when Cedric got the summons to see the sick king, he wasn't quite sure what to expect. After all, _he_ certainly didn't want to get sick either. He truly couldn't afford to be sick, for his potions and spells, or all that research, needed his attention.

With a hesitant knock on the king's bedroom door, Cedric waited a few moments before hearing a rather raspy voice calling for him to come in, followed by a cough. Making a face at the sound, Cedric pulled out his wand and produced a handkerchief so he might be able to ward off any of the king's germs. Still, scientifically speaking, he knew little would be accomplished with the measly piece of fabric. With a heavy sigh, he opened the door and entered, bowing as he approached the bed. "You wished to speak with me, Your Majesty?" he asked curiously as he kept his distance.

"Yes," Roland answered simply with a nod. He shook his head a few times to clear the fog the sickness had created before coughing a few times into his own handkerchief. He then returned his attention to the sorcerer. "Excuse me. Anyway, Cedric, you're probably aware of the unity meeting I was supposed to attend with Miranda in the Kingdom of Plumaria today."

"I'd heard you speak of little else all last week," Cedric responded kindly with a cautious shrug. He still felt like he had to tread carefully with the king, considering the recent circumstances, but he tried not to let it show. "And…I suppose it's safe to say that you won't be able to make it now."

"Indeed… However, I do have a solution. You see, the unity meeting is important as it manages to maintain peace and respect with our kingdoms. The last thing we need is a hostile relationship with any of our trading partners."

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," the sorcerer began with a baffled frown. "I'm confused. Where exactly do _I_ come in with this scenario?"

"I'm sending you in my place," Roland explained, expecting and receiving a surprised stare from his worker. "I would send Miranda, but she's running the kingdom in my place."

"Wouldn't Baileywick, perhaps, be a better choice, sire?"

Roland smirked. "Nice try, Cedric, but you know the kingdom would fall to pieces without Baileywick here to run things. Besides, he's aiding Miranda, which she requested." He gave the sorcerer a knowing smile as he saw the look of dismay on his face. "Cedric, I know you're not exactly a people-person, and I know you neither really understand nor care about a lot of these meetings, but it's important for our kingdom. We must establish and maintain our connections in order for our kingdom to grow well."

Heaving a heavy sigh, Cedric nodded. "I understand, King Roland… I'll do my best."

"I know." Roland shrugged carelessly. "Plus, I'm also sending Sofia along to help you."

…Why hadn't he mentioned that _before_?! The look of relief on the sorcerer's face must have said it all, because the king started laughing. "Princess Sofia is coming along? Not that I'm at all opposed, Your Majesty, but may I ask why?"

"A few reasons. One, though I don't fully understand it, you two seem to work rather well together. I think James described you two as a 'dream team.' It makes sense, really. She brings out a side to you I haven't seen since before 'the incident.'" He shrugged when Cedric offered him a pitiful look, as if bringing up the situation were painful for him. "Sorry… But yes, Sofia brings out the best in you, as I must admit you do with her. You work well as a team, so I'd be foolish not to send her along." He leaned back against his stack of pillows as Cedric nodded. "And also, I feel it's good for each of the kids to get some experience with situations like this. While I would have sent either Amber or James with you, I figured you'd be more comfortable with Sofia."

Cedric smiled. "Interesting how you came to that conclusion," he joked, causing Roland to chuckle.

"Oh, by the way, you know what today is?" The light-haired king smiled toward the sorcerer, who simply nodded. "Good. I trust you'll take care of it, then, and make the best of it?"

"Absolutely, Your Majesty. I hope you feel better soon." He bowed once more before standing straight. "I'll just collect Sofia, and we'll be on our way. Just leave it to us." He turned and left just as the king fell into another coughing fit. He shut the door behind him before using his wand to cast a mist all over his body, which aimed to alleviate himself of any potential lingering effects of the illness. "Can't be getting sick when we have a job to do." With that, he set off to find his apprentice.

Before long, Cedric and Sofia were off to Plumaria in a flying coach. Sofia was more than thrilled to travel to the new kingdom with her friend, and she also seemed rather interested in the idea of the unity meetings. As it had been explained to them, all they really needed to do was attend the meetings and be charming with the members present.

"I'll leave the _charming_ part to you," Cedric told the princess as they relaxed in the coach. "You're far better at it than I am."

"Well, you could always _use_ a charm on them, Mr. Cedric," she suggested with a cheeky smile.

Cedric gave his friend a knowing smirk. "All right, my mischievous apprentice. However, I'd rather not get kicked out of this unity meeting. I'd never hear the end of it from your father."

"Neither would I. Personally, I'd rather not be grounded through Wassailia." She giggled and stretched a bit before sighing. "How long is it supposed to take to get there?"

"Only another hour or so." He took her hand, turned it palm up, and used his wand to form a perfect fly cake directly in her grasp. "Here you are. No sense in traveling if you don't receive a snack, right?"

She smiled happily. "Thanks, Mr. Cedric."

Back at the castle, Miranda walked into the bedroom and looked toward Roland with an amused smile on her face. " _Feeling_ better?" she asked sarcastically as she gave her husband an entertained look.

Roland whined as she drew the curtains, stirring him from his sleep. "Miranda," he complained with a sigh. "I was having a wonderful nap. And I'm sick, in case you've forgotten."

"Rollie, you can knock it off already. The one potion you actually remembered how to correctly create from your childhood actually worked." She sat next to him with a small jar of sloshing light pink liquid. "Feigning sickness to stay home from school…or in your case, to get out of royal duties. Now I've seen everything."

He pouted as she had him sit up. "Well, how else was I supposed to get them both out of the castle?" He gave the little jar a curious glare. "What is _that_?"

"Cordelia fixed it to alleviate your _sickness_. Drink it." She held it out toward him.

"Eh, no offense to Cordelia, but considering what I've recently learned—that _she_ was the one who caused her _own_ misfortune and not Cedric—I'm a little concerned about this. Are you sure I can-?" He couldn't say anything else as Miranda rolled her eyes and held the jar to his lips, and he had little other choice than to drink the concoction. He blinked and hummed in appreciation. "Hmm, it tastes like candy."

She laughed. "And how are you feeling now?"

"Better, actually." He held his hands to his cheeks and nodded. "I don't have a fever, and I don't feel any of the symptoms lingering." He grinned and hopped out of bed, his energy renewed. "All right, Miranda! Let's get moving and get everything set up before they return."

"Right. Just one thing, Roland." She gestured toward his pajamas. "Surely you're not going out there dressed like that."

The man smiled sheepishly. "Oh, right. I'll be right behind you." He hurried off to gather a new set of clothing as Miranda snickered and left their room.

"It worked well, I take it?" Cordelia asked a few minutes later as Miranda walked into the ballroom where quite a bit of activity was going on.

"Very," Miranda responded with a nod. "I almost didn't get him to take it at first. Seems he likes sleeping away the day instead of tending to his royal duties." She smiled and rolled her eyes as the sorceress laughed.

"So I see nothing has changed from our childhood after all." She held up her wand. "Now then, Queen Miranda. Where would you like me to start?"

"Hmm… I think Amber is dealing with the gifts, and James seems to have a hold of the punch… I'm sure Baileywick could use some help with the decorations."

"Say no more." She grinned and hurried over to the flustered-looking steward. "Oh, Baileywick! Let me help you with that!"

Miranda couldn't contain her grin as she saw the look of exasperation on the older man's face. Obviously 'help' wasn't something he actually needed or wanted from Cordelia right now. "Sorry, Baileywick," she murmured with a sheepish look.

Cedric and Sofia arrived at Plumaria just as the general population of visitors also chose to arrive, it seemed. They recognized a few people (some from Tangu, Corona, and Kaldune, just to name a few), but there were naturally several others whom they couldn't identify.

"Wow," Sofia breathed in awe. "It's amazing how many kingdoms there really are in the Ever Realm."

"In the what?" Cedric asked distractedly as he attempted to shake out his leg, which had apparently fallen asleep during the ride.

Sofia held one hand to her mouth. Oh, right. That was a term only used in the Mystic Isles. "Uh, never mind." She giggled as she grabbed her mentor's hand. "Come on, Mr. Cedric! We wouldn't want to be late for this unity meeting."

"Of course we would," he countered as he walked onward with her, his leg regaining some feeling. "Look at it this way: if we're late, it means we don't have to speak to people."

"Oh, Mr. Cedric…" She smiled as they approached the large gates to the beautiful, ivory castle before them. She looked up at some of the guards as they stopped them.

"Please state your names and your kingdom affiliation," one thin man with an absurdly long mustache inquired.

Sofia attempted to keep her smile subtle as she responded kindly, "I'm Princess Sofia of Enchancia, and this is our Royal Sorcerer Cedric the Sensational."

The guard chuckled. "Normally, I'd expect to see a king or a queen. They're training their children young these days, eh?" He smiled at the auburn-haired girl. "Good on you, Princess. Welcome to Plumaria." With that, he gave the signal to open the gate, and he allowed the two friends through.

"I guess it wouldn't do any good to tell him Dad's sick," Sofia declared as she and her friend walked a bit farther inside.

"It doesn't really matter," Cedric responded with a shrug. "After all, all that matters is a physical representation—not a specific appearance. A princess is just as good as a king or a queen."

She giggled. "Thanks, Mr. Cedric."

"Oh, Princess Sofia!"

The two friends turned as they heard a familiar voice. Queen Cecily walked over with her husband King Marcus.

"King Marcus," Sofia greeted sweetly before turning to the woman. "Queen Cecily, it's so good to see you both here! Did Vivian come with you?"

"No, I'm afraid. She said she was going to visit a friend." She smiled with a little twinkle in her eye, though the princess seemed to miss it.

The young girl nodded in understanding. "Oh, okay." With that, she smiled happily. "You both remember our Royal Sorcerer Mr. Cedric?"

"Of course," Queen Cecily acknowledged as she smiled kindly toward Cedric. "It's very nice to see you again."

"It is nice to see you both as well." Cedric smiled in return. Granted, he wasn't much for small talk, but he genuinely did like Vivian's parents. They actually seemed far more approachable than many other royals in any case.

"Sofia, were your parents unable to make it?"

"Yeah… Dad's sick, and Mom is ruling Enchancia for him because of that. So, since they didn't want to lose any ties with anyone, they asked Mr. Cedric and me to come in their place."

"How delightful!" King Marcus laughed. "Next year, we'll send Vivian along in our stead. The two of you could travel together."

Sofia laughed. "That could be fun, actually."

The sound of trumpets got their attention, and the quartet quickly hurried onward into the castle so that they could prepare for the unity meeting.

Once all were assembled in what was ordained as a gathering room, an older man with graying hair and a matching beard stood among the other royals, his dark velvet suit and golden accents standing out in the midst of the maroons, purples, and greens of the others. "It is so wonderful to see everyone here again," he announced clearly, his hand clutching a long scepter as he stood. "There are many faces I recognize, and a few new ones among the crowd; either way, I'm thrilled we have all gathered together this year. It's going to be a grand day, filled with exciting new information and opportunities to mingle with the other kingdoms' leaders. Please, everyone have a seat in our dining room in ten minutes. Clive will show you all the way." With that, he turned and left the gathering room.

"Now who was that?" Sofia whispered to Vivian's parents.

"That's King Donovan," King Marcus responded softly as the four of them carried on, heading toward the dining room as instructed. "He's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, though he lost his wife last year and they never had any children, so…"

"Aw," Sofia lamented with a solemn look. "So having these meetings is probably therapeutic for him in a way, huh? He gets to be around others and not feel lonely."

Queen Cecily nodded. "Very perceptive, Sofia. It's because of Donovan that we continue our trek here each year. He makes things so much more interesting."

Once gathered into the dining room, everyone was treated to a full three-course meal and pleasant conversation. Naturally, Sofia was having a great time talking to new people and some familiar ones. Cedric, on the other hand, was a bit reclusive—as was expected. He sat at the end of the table next to Sofia, though he was more focused on his food than on people surrounding them. In fact, there was a peculiar little purple cake on his plate, and he was very curious as to why it was…well, shimmering with sparkles.

As if he could read his mind, the butler Clive chuckled as he stood next to Cedric. "It's one of King Donovan's most requested recipes," he explained. "Shimmer Cake. It was his wife's favorite." With that, he walked off to tend to the rest of the table.

Sofia grinned and leaned over with her fork, attempting to get some of Cedric's cake.

The sorcerer recoiled and halted her fork with his own. "Do you _mind_? Don't you have your own cake?"

She giggled. "Yours is sparklier!"

He smirked at her. "That's not a word."

She snickered and returned to her own plate.

After their meal, Cedric and Sofia spent a lot of time chatting with people from other kingdoms. Where Sofia fell short on some of the more diplomatic aspects, Cedric helpfully stepped in and offered his input. All in all, things seemed to be rather successful. Of course, they couldn't help noticing there were a few people missing from the unity meeting.

"I wonder where King Magnus is," Sofia told him as their day was nearing a close. She frowned in concern. "You don't think it has anything to do with…?"

Cedric shook his head and sighed. "I'm not sure… I wouldn't doubt it though. Honestly, I don't know if I could have handled seeing him today—not after he had _two_ …well, never mind. I'd say this day was rather productive otherwise."

"Me too," she enthused, smiling now. "And thanks for coming with me, Mr. Cedric. I'm still not fully trained on all of this, so you were a big help."

"Well, I try," he joked lightly, causing her to laugh. "We'd best say our goodbyes and head home. If I understood correctly, we were encouraged to be there for supper. In fact, your sister insisted."

"I'm not surprised," she admitted with a grin. "Just let me talk to a few people and we can go."

After speaking with Queen Cecily and King Marcus, and a few others as well, the two friends returned to their coach and flew back to Enchancia.

"It looks delightful," Baileywick muttered in awe as he looked around at the beautifully-decorated ballroom, his eyes widening.

Cordelia grinned as she twirled her wand. "Told you! And you doubted my magical ability. Tsk, tsk, Baileywick. You should know better by now."

"I'll never doubt you again, Cordelia," he chuckled.

"Mummy, look what I made!" Calista called as she rushed up to her mother, who bent down to see the drawing the child was holding. "See? You think she'll like it?"

Cordelia winked and kissed her daughter's forehead. "I'm quite sure she's going to love it, Calista. Well done."

The girl giggled.

"Oh, I heard something!" Amber squealed in excitement. "Everyone, get in place!"

Cordelia waved her wand, causing the entire ballroom to suddenly go dark.

Cedric and Sofia entered the castle doors and yawned simultaneously. Apparently, a day abroad dealing with hundreds of other royals could be somewhat tiring.

"I just want to eat and go to bed," Sofia said, rubbing at her tired eyes.

"Same here," Cedric agreed with a nod.

She looked around, noticing it seemed rather quiet. "Huh. That's strange. Where is everyone?" She walked forward, her curious nature getting the better of her.

Cedric blinked a few times, and then he smiled knowingly as he caught sight of a few stray streamers along the corridor. He continued following behind her. Ah, so _that's_ what was going on…

After looking in the dining room and noticing that no one was there, Sofia's guard was up. She fisted her hand, her Enchantlet tightening around her wrist ever so slightly at her movements. What if her family had been royal-napped? What if everyone had also gotten sick and was now bedridden? Oh, no!

She hurried along the corridor when she heard a small shuffle coming from behind the ballroom entrance. She paused and frowned as Cedric caught up with her. "I think…something's going on," she told him softly.

Cedric placed one hand on her back and gently urged her forward. "Let's see what it is." Catching her nervous glance, he smiled and nodded gently at her. "I'll go with you."

Sofia grew more determined and nodded before walking forward a few steps when…

All the lighting in the ballroom returned, music began playing, and streamers zoomed across the room as the princess stood there in shock. Everyone was there—even King Marcus and Queen Cecily!

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SOFIA!"

Sofia's mouth dropped and she laughed in surprise. "What? How did…?" She looked up at Cedric, who was smiling proudly. "Mr. Cedric, did you know about this?"

He shrugged. "Of course."

"Oh, he did not," Cordelia scoffed as the two friends entered the room. "Cedric is absolutely terrible at keeping surprises a secret, so if he knew anything, he figured it out on his own."

"But wait, I'm confused…" She looked toward her father, who seemed perfectly healthy. "Dad, I thought you were sick!"

"Heh, I actually made a potion for me to _pretend_ to be sick, and Cordelia used a new potion to 'heal' me," he explained briefly with a shrug. "Sorry, Sofia, but we had to get you out of the castle somehow…and Cedric had to go too, of course, so you wouldn't be alone. And it just so happened that the unity meeting was today, so it was perfect timing."

"And again, he's rubbish at secrets," the sorceress added with a cheeky grin as her brother threw a pointed look her way. "I'm just saying."

The princess finally sighed and smiled happily. "Well, thank you all! I was beginning to think everyone had forgotten my birthday…"

"You know we wouldn't do that," James assured her with a smile. "Come on! Come look at your cake!" He grabbed one of her hands.

" _And_ all your presents!" Amber added excitedly as she took Sofia's other hand. "Your friends from the village came. Oh, and Vivian's here too!"

Sofia lit up. So _she_ was the 'friend' the other girl had to see. _Now_ it all was starting to make sense. "Awesome!" She giggled as her siblings dragged her away.

Cedric smiled at the scene before glancing toward Roland, who clapped a hand over his shoulder. "The meeting was a success, King Roland."

"I'm glad, but honestly I'm just grateful you were able to spend the day with Sofia while we planned all of this." He lowered his hand. "I apologize for keeping you in the dark; it was more your sister's idea than anyone else's. But thanks, Cedric."

"Anytime, sire." He chuckled.

Once the festivities ended and everyone outside of the castle had gone home, Baileywick got his crew together to begin cleaning the ballroom. The twins wished their sister a happy birthday again before hugging her and heading off to their rooms. Her parents, Cordelia, and Calista then echoed the sentiment.

Sofia smiled as she looked at her collection of gifts in her basket. Her siblings had each gotten her some genuine Avaloran artifacts (which Elena evidently had played a hand in getting to her). Her parents had gifted her with a few new dresses expertly sewn to fit her style and preference as well as surprised her with a promise of a trip to Avalor during the Wassailia break, which the whole family would participate in (and she'd also somehow managed to talk them into taking Cedric, Cordelia, Calista, and Baileywick). Calista had given her a hand-drawn picture: that of the two of them together, practicing magic and having fun. Cordelia had crafted for her something she called a Wand Ring, which would enhance and perfect her spells and could be placed on any wand she chose. She received several other gifts from many people, including a collection of items from around the globe sent by her Aunt Tilly, who was currently traveling. From others she received books, cards, treats, and many other items.

"Need some help?" Cedric asked as he used his wand to levitate the basket, causing Sofia to sigh in relief.

"Thank you, Mr. Cedric."

"Certainly." He walked with her as she headed to her room for the evening. "Did you enjoy your party?"

"I did. I'm sorry they didn't let you in on the surprise."

"To be honest, I'm sort of glad they didn't." He laughed. "As annoying as she can be, my sister is right. I really am quite bad at keeping surprise parties a secret. …Namely hers when we were younger, but that's a story for another day."

Sofia laughed. "Well, that explains it." She opened the door to her room and led him inside. "You can just put it on the window seat. Thanks." She watched as he used his wand to send the basket to its destination before breaking the link with it. "Good night, Mr. Cedric."

"Not quite yet," he reminded her. "I haven't given you _my_ gift yet."

"Oh, right!" She smiled and clasped her hands together. "You didn't have to get me anything, Mr. Cedric. You gave me the best thing you could have today: your time."

He smiled gently and guided her over to the window seat so they could sit next to her gifts. "That's kind of you, Sofia, but I feel you need this. Close your eyes." Seeing she'd complied, he used his wand to tap against her right hand, creating a purple and pink gradient-designed ring around her forefinger. He chuckled when she opened her eyes and stared in awe at the new addition to her growing collection of magical items. "It's a GuardoRing."

"A what?"

"A GuardoRing. I made it myself specifically with you in mind." He frowned lightly as she observed it. "You're often surrounded by danger, Sofia—likely even more than I'm aware of. Danger could range from general everyday situations to truly detestable characters who mean you harm. And I can't always be there to help you…though you've done a pretty excellent job protecting yourself up until now, of course. The ring can cast shields around you, alert you to danger in the area, and even activate my wand if you're in a bad situation. I just want to keep you as safe as I possibly can, because if something were to happen to you…"

Sofia smiled gently when she saw her friend trailing off, as if he couldn't finish that statement, and leaned forward to hug him. "Thank you very much, Mr. Cedric. It's the best gift I could have gotten."

"Well, it's also my way of saying 'thanks' as well… This has been quite a year, hasn't it?" He gently patted her back before she settled back onto the window seat again.

"And it's not over yet. Don't forget, we're traveling to Avalor for Wassailia. So that's something positive to look forward to." She looked down at her ring and caressed it gently before looking back toward him. "If I _do_ have to face down some enemies soon…"

"We'll be right there behind you, Sofia," he assured her calmly. "Your family, me and my family, Wormy…" He smirked as she laughed. "You laugh, but trust me—he can step up when he needs to. And he likes you more than he wants to admit."

She sighed happily. "Well, that's good to know."

"Good night, my dear. I'll see you tomorrow." He chuckled as she hugged him again. "And happy birthday."

"You're the best, Mr. Cedric." She giggled as he bid her goodnight and left. She cast her gaze outside at the twinkling stars before staring down at her ring again. A GuardoRing, huh? "I guess that makes Mr. Cedric my guardian…sorcerer?" She laughed. "Sounds perfect."

The end

Ending A/N: So, I didn't want to spoil the surprise, though I'm sure most of you figured out earlier than the ending that this story takes place on Sofia's birthday. :D Thanks to Royal Detective for reminding me that her birthday is October 6. Since I'm going to be highly busy on her actual birthday and likely not able to post the story, I wanted to make sure I posted it ASAP. So…happy early birthday, Sofia! ;) Also, that GuardoRing WILL show up in my future stories…one in particular. AND I DO plan to write that suggested Avalor-Visiting-Wassailia story in December. :D So keep an eye out! Later, guys! ~AquaTurquoise


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